‘Russia must be destroyed’ – Ukraine envoy

The remark was made in a social media post and then deleted by a Ukrainian consul in Montenegro

Moscow voiced concerns over the safety of its diplomatic mission in Montenegro on Thursday after a Ukrainian consul posted and then deleted a message under a hashtag calling for the destruction of Russia.

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially asked the Balkan country to strengthen the protection of the Russian embassy building in Podgorica, fearing possible “provocations… organized by the Ukrainian embassy” during a pro-Kiev march planned for Saturday.

The appeal was made after Mykhailo Shmatov, Ukraine’s consul in Podgorica, announced the march on Facebook under the hashtag “RussiaMustBeDestroyed” spelled in Ukrainian, and the same phrase in Montenegrin. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on social media that the hashtag was a testament to “who is actually harboring aggressive plans.”

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Shmatov later changed the hashtag to “UkrainiansWillResist.” He responded to Zakharova’s comments by adding: “The acknowledgement of your activities by the enemy is priceless. To be continued.” 

NATO member states have been accusing Russia of gearing up to invade Ukraine since the end of last year. Reports in Western media recently claimed that Moscow may attack its neighbor as early as this week. Russia, meanwhile, has consistently denied plans to attack Ukraine in any way.